>I have found the book THEY CAME IN SHIPS by John Colletta to be very >helpful in helping find information about ancestors who came across the >Ocean. >Did you know that prior to about 1860 (give or take), the only practical >way to western US was via the Erie Canal (which means New York City up the >Hudson River to Albany, the Canal to Buffalo, and then canals to OH, IN, >IL or the Great Lakes) as there are no natural openings across the >mountains except in NY? The railroad changed that; the RR was more >expensive and faster than the canals and Lakes. Did you know that most >Scandanvian people came through Quebec rather than NYC and went down the >St. Lawrence River; I was told the reason for this was that the Canadians >would let anyone in. (That is a joke, please.) But it is true that >people who might be somewhat ill were admitted in Canada, while they might >have to be live in quarantine in NYC. I have a brief report I have >written about immigrant travel (around 1850) on the Ocean, Erie Canal >(and facts about the Canal) and the Great Lakes that I will send to anyone >who sends me an email (privately, not to the entire list). >If your ancestors were German or if they were on a ship with mostly German >passengers, I would be glad to look in GERMANS TO AMERICA to see if their >names are there. (Most S-H people will be listed.) This many volume >index has listing for most ships that had a significant number of Germans >as passengers. Basically, they must have arrived between 1845 and 1897 to >be in the index I have. I do not charge for a look-up; just be willing to >wait a week or two. Note that recently, they have an index for the five >years prior to 1850; this is new. Eugene Wengert Emeritus Professor, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison President, The Wood Doctor's Rx, LLC 2872 Charleston Drive Madison, WI 53711-6503 608-271-4441 Preferred e-mail: WoodDoc@UWAlumni.com www.WoodWeb.com

I beg to take exception to Professsor Wengert's assertion that prior to 1860 there was no practical way to reach the American West except through New York. He should examine the records of passenegers landing in New Orleans for starters for the period 1820-1850 available from FTM on CD. My Wulf(mann) , Ankesheil , Schnitker, Wleike, relatives all made it to St Louis and S. Illinois that way (1846 -1848). My Hoffmann ancestors made it using the route Philadelphia, Cumberland MD, Newark OH to Carlyle IL and S to Washington County IL in 1839. That is the National Post (read present US50) Route. Gottfried Duden's description of his travels down the Ohio R. not withstanding having been widely read in the German states describing the trip he made to around Hermann MO and his stay there 1824-1827. Duden's book has been translated into English and is readily available using Inter Libray Loan approach. The Hoffmanns of New Minden IL made a scouting trip to Newark Ohio around 1834 prior to their 1839 trip with the rest of the family. There already was a sizeable collection of Hoffmanns and other German speaking peoples when they arrived at the Newark OH area. Convenient and easy it may not have been but there were obvious attractions to the route which was built to a large extent by good hardworking German speaking settlers. The number of German speaking peoples in the days of Ben Franklin were sufficient to make Ben worry that German would become the official language. The numbers along the US 50 Belt were such that the first child born to the Hoffmanns at N. Pairie (new Minden) lived 102 years (1840-1942) and while her husband pastored (1865-1920) at various churches from Mansfield OH, to the confluence of the Illinois R with the Mississippi R. she never had any need to speak English. Many of those did not come via New York. The route to the Midwest came from New Orleans because it was the most direct and quickest . I am afraid Professor Wengert holds the same bias I grew up with, the Midwest begins in Michigan and extends west to take in Wisconsin and Minnesota by by our graciousness includes Illinois, Iowa, Indiana and Ohio. (read Big 10). Dave Wulfman Eugene M. Wengert wrote: > >> I have found the book THEY CAME IN SHIPS by John Colletta to be very >> helpful in helping find information about ancestors who came across >> the Ocean. > > > >> Did you know that prior to about 1860 (give or take), the only >> practical way to western US was via the Erie Canal (which means New >> York City up the Hudson River to Albany, the Canal to Buffalo, and >> then canals to OH, IN, IL or the Great Lakes) as there are no natural >> openings across the mountains except in NY? The railroad changed >> that; the RR was more expensive and faster than the canals and >> Lakes. Did you know that most Scandanvian people came through Quebec >> rather than NYC and went down the St. Lawrence River; I was told the >> reason for this was that the Canadians would let anyone in. (That is >> a joke, please.) But it is true that people who might be somewhat >> ill were admitted in Canada, while they might have to be live in >> quarantine in NYC. I have a brief report I have written about >> immigrant travel (around 1850) on the Ocean, Erie Canal (and facts >> about the Canal) and the Great Lakes that I will send to anyone who >> sends me an email (privately, not to the entire list). > > > >> If your ancestors were German or if they were on a ship with mostly >> German passengers, I would be glad to look in GERMANS TO AMERICA to >> see if their names are there. (Most S-H people will be listed.) >> This many volume index has listing for most ships that had a >> significant number of Germans as passengers. Basically, they must >> have arrived between 1845 and 1897 to be in the index I have. I do >> not charge for a look-up; just be willing to wait a week or two. >> Note that recently, they have an index for the five years prior to >> 1850; this is new. > > > > > > Eugene Wengert > Emeritus Professor, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison > President, The Wood Doctor's Rx, LLC > 2872 Charleston Drive > Madison, WI 53711-6503 > 608-271-4441 > Preferred e-mail: WoodDoc@UWAlumni.com > www.WoodWeb.com > > ==== SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN-ROOTS Mailing List ==== > Eine Erklaerung von Fachbegriffen und die Regeln der SH-ROOTS finden > Sie hier: > http://www.genealogy-sh.com/faq-sh-roots/regeln.htm > > > . >

>There were indeed many immigrants who came to the Midwest via New Orleans >and other Gulf ports. I did not mean to exclude this option for reaching the western USA. Eugene Wengert Emeritus Professor, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison President, The Wood Doctor's Rx, LLC 2872 Charleston Drive Madison, WI 53711-6503 608-271-4441 Preferred e-mail: WoodDoc@UWAlumni.com www.WoodWeb.com